This newest addition to the Carolina Room’s exhibits on cmstory.org will debut on May 20 and presents an historical account of events celebrating the signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. While the facts regarding this much-debated document are presented, no attempt is made to solve the question of its existence. Such judgment is reserved for you, so please view the website and cast your vote – is it history or hoax?

Shortly after the first shots were fired in the Revolutionary War, anger at the Crown was echoed in North Carolina with the signing of the Mecklenburg Resolves of 1775. Many historians believe that another important document known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed on May 20, 1775 more than a year before the Continental Congress proclaimed the independence of the 13 colonies from England. According to the signer’s accounts, more than 20 men broke their allegiance to England by signing this declaration. Unfortunately, there is no original document to prove its existence, but John McKnitt Alexander later recorded the text of the declaration from memory. Mecklenburg citizens have been celebrating the event for more than 175 years with presidential visits, parades, fireworks and military bands.

Celebrate “Meck Dec” Day 2004 by joining us for the following events:

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
April Morning, Main Library Auditorium
This Hallmark Hall of Fame film is a dramatization of the Lexington and Concord battle. It is an adventure that centers on the patriot who fired “the shot heard ’round the world’.” Strong-willed Moses Cooper (Tommy Lee Jones) is one of many colonials who object to the dominance of their British rulers. With a possible battle looming, he and his son Adam (Chad Lowe) prepare to load their rifles. And on April 19, 1775, the famous battle took place that eventually led to American independence.

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Polk Park Festivities hosted by the Mecklenburg Historical Association
This annual event hosted by the Mecklenburg Historical Association is held at Polk Park at The Square. This year’s program will feature local officials, docents from local museums and CMS students dressed in 18th century costume handing out copies of the Declaration reprinted from the Alexander text. Library staff will be demonstrating the Library’s ”Meck Dec” website (http://www.cmstory.org/meckdec) Historical re-enactors from the NC 6th Regiment will provide fife and drum music, and the firing of muskets will honor the signers. A procession will follow to Settlers’ Cemetery to lay a wreath on Colonel Thomas Polk’s grave. The event will be held at Founders Hall in case of inclement weather.

1:15 - 1:30 p.m.
Lecture - Main Library, Auditorium
Jack Claiborne, journalist and historian, will speak about “The Impact of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.”

“A Free and Independent People: Celebrating ‘Meck Dec’ Through the Years” Exhibit
Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Main Library - 3rd Floor
May 19 - August 19, 2004
Presented by the Charlotte Museum of History, Tony Crumbley and the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room.

The staff of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room welcomes Charles Brown as the new director of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. Mr. Brown has worked in libraries for more than three decades and served as director of the Hennepin County Library System in Minnesota for the past 10 years. An article about our new director appeared in The Charlotte Observer on April 18, 2004, in which he said his top goal is to be a credible spokesperson for the library’s needs. He said he was re-energized one day when observing all the different people using Main Library: “This is a house of dreams for preschoolers, for job seekers, for people doing genealogical research. Regardless of what you want to make of yourself, if you make the library your first step you’ll be on your way.”

If you or someone you know has old photographs of people and places in Cornelius, artifacts or personal knowledge of local history, we need you to help preserve Cornelius’ past by participating in this project. Library archivists will copy your photographs and artifacts for preservation in the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Main Library.

You are also asked to share your memories with staff and volunteers from the Public Library, who will conduct videotaped oral history interviews. The interviews (with your permission) will be preserved in the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Main Library.

Abstract Henderson County, NC Estate Records1838-1900
By Kathleen A. Summers
Gateway Press, 2002

Camera Man’s Journey
Edited by Thomas L. Johnson and Nina J. Root
University of Georgia Press, 2002

The Forest City Lynching of 1900: Populism, Racism and White Supremacy in Rutherford County, North Carolina
By Timothy Cole
McFarland & Sons, 2003

Great Sea Island Storm of 1893
By Bill and Fran Marscher
Authors Choice Press, 2001

Heart of Confederate Appalachia Western North Carolina in the Civil War
By John C. Inscoe & Gordon B. McKinney
University of North Carolina Press, 2000

Mississippi Land Papers and Secret Militia Rolls of 1788 Anglo-American Settlers in the Spanish Gulf South
By Winston De Ville
Provincial Press, 2003

North Carolina Slaves and Free Persons of Color McDowell County
By William L. Byrd III and John H. Smith
Heritage Books, Inc., 2003

Slave Law in the American South: State v. Mann in History and Literature
By Mark V. Tushnet
University Press of Kansas, 2003

South Carolina Then and Now
Edited by Jason H. Silverman and Judith M. Andres
South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 2001

Tar Hill Catholics: A History of Catholicism in North Carolina
By William F. Powers
University Press of America, 2003